Mercy One Medical Center 7717 49:59- 04"The best piece of advice is get vaccinated and make sure your children are vaccinated."> While the case of measles reported in iowa on monday is the first since 2011, experts say the disease is sprouting up all over the country. <Caitlin Pedati IDPH 7719 25:48- 56"Measles is really good at moving from person to person. It can hang around in the air on surfaces for up to two hours so it's really a pretty contagio virus."> Doctors say if 10 unvaccinated people are in a room together and one of them contracts the measles virus, the other 9 will get measles too. <Ravi Vemuri Mercy One Medical Center 7717 47:27-41"So if I for example had an active case of measles, just standing here talking to you loudly, or perhaps coughing and sneezing, I would aerosolize it into the air and those droplets would remain infectious for up to two hours."> and the symptoms can be fatal... Especially for children. <Ravi Vemuri Mercy One Medical Center 7717 48:08- 14"The infection can cause all types of complications and the most dreaded complication is insephalitus which is the swelling of the brain."> In the year 2000, doctors in the United States thought they eliminated measles. But now the disease is coming from overseas. In the case that popped up in Iowa, the individual just got back from traveling to Israel. <Ravi Vemuri Mercy One Medical Center 7717 46:08- 16"When you have enough gaps in the local community immunization, that allows it to spread."> experts say the vaccine can be extremely effective. Even if you've only had half of the dosage. <Ravi Vemuri Mercy One Medical Center 7717 46:41- 48"You have about 98-percent protection, so they're very effective. And if you've gotten just one you have about 93-percent protection.">

Iowa health officials Monday confirmed the first case of measles in the state since 2011, as the number of measles cases surges across the United States.The Iowa Department of Public Health said the person from northeastern Iowa contracted the disease while on a trip to Israel, where outbreaks have been reported. The person had not been vaccinated, health officials said.Measles symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough and a rash. The infection can cause all sorts of complications, the worst of which is encephalitis, or the swelling of the brain.Measles is highly contagious to the unvaccinated and can be fatal, especially for children."Measles is really good at moving from person to person," said Dr. Caitlin Pedati, with the Iowa Department of Public Health. "It can hang around in the air on surfaces for up to two hours, so it's a pretty contagious virus."Twenty states have reported at least one case of measles since the beginning of the year with a combined 555 measles cases as of Monday -- up from 465 a week ago. It's the largest tally since 2014.RELATED: US measles count up to 555, with most new cases in New YorkThe number of measles cases had dropped so low in 2000 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the disease eliminated in the United States.State officials are working with the infected person, as well as with people possibly exposed. The Iowa Department of Public Health said there's no indication of any threat to the public.Dr. Ravi Vemuri, an infectious disease specialist at MercyOne in Des Moines, said the disease has been more aggressive recently, and it spreads quickly."The best piece of advice is, get vaccinated and make sure your children are vaccinated," Vemuri said.Those who received both measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations are about 98% protected from infection, he said. Even if an individual receives one vaccine, that's about 93% protection.The epicenter for the surge of U.S. measles cases has been in New York, where nearly two-thirds of all cases have been reported. Most of the New York cases have been unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) —

Iowa health officials Monday confirmed the first case of measles in the state since 2011, as the number of measles cases surges across the United States.

The Iowa Department of Public Health said the person from northeastern Iowa contracted the disease while on a trip to Israel, where outbreaks have been reported. The person had not been vaccinated, health officials said.

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Measles symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough and a rash. The infection can cause all sorts of complications, the worst of which is encephalitis, or the swelling of the brain.

Measles is highly contagious to the unvaccinated and can be fatal, especially for children.

"Measles is really good at moving from person to person," said Dr. Caitlin Pedati, with the Iowa Department of Public Health. "It can hang around in the air on surfaces for up to two hours, so it's a pretty contagious virus."

Twenty states have reported at least one case of measles since the beginning of the year with a combined 555 measles cases as of Monday -- up from 465 a week ago. It's the largest tally since 2014.

The number of measles cases had dropped so low in 2000 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the disease eliminated in the United States.

State officials are working with the infected person, as well as with people possibly exposed. The Iowa Department of Public Health said there's no indication of any threat to the public.

Dr. Ravi Vemuri, an infectious disease specialist at MercyOne in Des Moines, said the disease has been more aggressive recently, and it spreads quickly.

"The best piece of advice is, get vaccinated and make sure your children are vaccinated," Vemuri said.

Those who received both measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations are about 98% protected from infection, he said. Even if an individual receives one vaccine, that's about 93% protection.

The epicenter for the surge of U.S. measles cases has been in New York, where nearly two-thirds of all cases have been reported. Most of the New York cases have been unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities.